A LIGHT THAT NEVER COMES

Chapter IV - LIBERALITY

      Twister had heard this explanation once.  Destiny told him and Star at the same time, Star was just quicker to accept the offer.  Twister had hesitated, worried about his job.  He trusted Destiny, but he worried for the kingdom.  He was happy to have signed on when he did.
    When Destiny finished talking, Ruby adjusted her feathers.  Twister watched her for a moment, before she finally opened her muzzle to speak.

"I know somepony else," Ruby said, Twister able to see Destiny perk up.  He could see his tail wag out of the corner of his eye.  "The only problem is I lost contact with them and I have never met them."

"What?"  Destiny asked, genuinely confused.  "You've never met them?  Did you write to them?"

"He was my cousin," Ruby said.  "One day, he just stopped answering my letters.  I didn't trust anypony more than him.  Not even my brother."

"Damn," Twister heard himself mumble.  Destiny's ears perked up in curiosity.

"Do you know where he lived?"

"My parents always mailed the letters," she retorted.  If this cousin of hers was number seven, he couldn't have been dead.  "I was too little to know how."

"And you don't know what he looks like?"  Destiny asked, almost sounding hopeless.

"I asked him to describe himself at some point," Ruby said slowly.  She seemed to struggle to remember.  "He said he had a gray coat, black mane, and russet eyes."

"Was he a pegasus?"  Destiny asked.  Ruby paused.

"You know, I don't know what he was," Ruby admitted slowly, making eye contact with Destiny.  "Both pegasi and unicorns are common in my family, so he could've been either.  Hell, he could've been an Earth pony."

"Anything he said that could've implied something?"  Destiny pressed.  "Studies show that unicorns have better luck with writing than pegasi and Earth ponies."

"Well, we were both foals," Ruby said.  Destiny's ear twitched, signaling he was in distress.

"Both of you had horrible writing, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Ruby whispered, looking down.

The room was engulfed in silence.  Twister watched Destiny's eyes.  He was thinking.  He was so desperate for this to work, that he was willing to go above and beyond.  Twister couldn't imagine the stress he was under.

"What was his name?"  Destiny finally asked.  "Certainly you know his name, even a brief rundown of his personality.  When did you lose contact?  Anything."

"His name was Calm Mind," Ruby said, thinking again.  "He always seemed to be anything but calm.  Actually, I think he was sad and talked about how nice it'd be to run away.  I know he was a good few years older than me, maybe five, and he liked to read."

"He almost sounds like you, Young Master," Star mused, Destiny stealing a glance at the unicorn for a moment.  The personality did sound similar, but the appearance definitely wasn't, nor was the name.

"You don't think he was royalty, do you, Ruby?"  Sparkling Swirl squeaked.  "Don't you live near the border?"

Ruby froze.  Her eyes widened in realization.

"He said his dad was a bat pony soldier," Ruby said in a daze.  "He said his name was Haki and his mother's name was Hana.  She was a unicorn, and he said he looked almost exactly like her."

"Captain Haki?"  Twister suddenly snapped.  "That guy is totally sick in the head.  Reports in the bat kingdom show that Hana went missing a decade ago, and her case went cold.  They couldn't accuse him with no evidence."